Job 14:1–16:22
Is of few days and afull of 1trouble.
2 bHe comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
3 And cdo You open Your eyes on such a one,
And dbring 2me to judgment with Yourself?
4 Who ecan bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one!
5 fSince his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
6 gLook away from him that he may 3rest,
Till hlike a hired man he finishes his day.
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
10 But man dies and 4is laid away;
Indeed he 5breathes his last
And where is ihe?
11 As water disappears from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dries up,
12 So man lies down and does not rise.
jTill the heavens are no more,
They will not awake
Nor be roused from their sleep.
13 “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,
That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service kI will wait,
Till my change comes.
15 lYou shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.
16 For now mYou number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
17 nMy transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You 6cover my iniquity.
18 “But as a mountain falls and crumbles away,
And as a rock is moved from its place;
19 As water wears away stones,
And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
So You destroy the hope of man.
20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
21 His sons come to honor, and ohe does not know it;
They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
22 But his flesh will be in pain over it,
And his soul will mourn over it.”
15 Then aEliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge,
And fill 1himself with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
And restrain 2prayer before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 bYour own mouth condemns you, and not I;
Yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 “Are you the first man who was born?
cOr were you made before the hills?
8 dHave you heard the counsel of God?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 eWhat do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not in us?
10 fBoth the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Much older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you,
And the word spoken 3gently with you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away,
And 4what do your eyes wink at,
13 That you turn your spirit against God,
And let such words go out of your mouth?
14 “What gis man, that he could be pure?
And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
15 hIf God puts no trust in His saints,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
16 iHow much less man, who is abominable and filthy,
jWho drinks iniquity like water!
What I have seen I will declare,
Not hiding anything received kfrom their fathers,
19 To whom alone the 5land was given,
And lno alien passed among them:
20 The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
mAnd the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.
21 6Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
nIn prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will oreturn from darkness,
For a sword is waiting for him.
23 He pwanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows qthat a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Trouble and anguish make him afraid;
They overpower him, like a king ready for 7battle.
25 For he stretches out his hand against God,
And acts defiantly against the Almighty,
26 Running stubbornly against Him
With his strong, embossed shield.
27 “Though rhe has covered his face with his fatness,
And made his waist heavy with fat,
28 He dwells in desolate cities,
In houses which no one inhabits,
Which are destined to become ruins.
Nor will his wealth scontinue,
Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
30 He will not depart from darkness;
The flame will dry out his branches,
And tby the breath of His mouth he will go away.
31 Let him not utrust in futile things, deceiving himself,
For futility will be his reward.
32 It will be accomplished vbefore his time,
And his branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine,
And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
34 For the company of hypocrites will be barren,
And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 wThey conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
Their womb prepares deceit.”
Job Reproaches His Pitiless Friends
16 Then Job answered and said:
2 “I have heard many such things;
aMiserable 1comforters are you all!
3 Shall 2words of wind have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
4 I also could speak as you do,
If your soul were in my soul’s place.
I could heap up words against you,
And bshake my head at you;
5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth,
And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.
6 “Though I speak, my grief is not relieved;
And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
7 But now He has cworn me out;
You dhave made desolate all my company.
And it is a ewitness against me;
My leanness rises up against me
And bears witness to my face.
9 fHe tears me in His wrath, and hates me;
He gnashes at me with His teeth;
gMy adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
10 They hgape at me with their mouth,
They istrike me reproachfully on the cheek,
They gather together against me.
11 God jhas delivered me to the ungodly,
And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but He has kshattered me;
He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;
He has lset me up for His target,
He pierces my 3heart and does not pity;
He pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breaks me with wound upon wound;
He runs at me like a 4warrior.
15 “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,
And mlaid my 5head in the dust.
16 My face is 6flushed from weeping,
And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
17 Although no violence is in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And nlet my cry have no resting place!
19 Surely even now omy witness is in heaven,
And my evidence is on high.
My eyes pour out tears to God.
21 pOh, that one might plead for a man with God,
As a man pleads for his 7neighbor!
22 For when a few years are finished,
I shall qgo the way of no return.